Automatic identification by 13C NMR of substituent groups bonded in natural product skeletons

The aim of this paper is to present a procedure that utilizes 13C NMR for identification of substituent groups which are bonded to carbon skeletons of natural products. For so much was developed a new version of the program MACRONO, that presents a database with 161 substituent types found in the most varied terpenoids. This new version was widely tested in the identification of the substituents of 60 compounds that, after removal of the signals that did not belong to the carbon skeleton, served to test the prediction of skeletons by using other programs of the expert system SISTEMAT.     

Towards an autonomous fall detection and alerting system on a mobile and pervasive environment

In recent years, the use of sensors on mobile devices is highly desirable. In particular, an accelerometer can be used for numerous applications such as tracking object or monitoring of the elderly. This paper presents an application tool based on an accelerometer, call SensorFall to detect and report the acceleration caused by a fall, which allows sending alerts in the form of SMS, phone call, or by location using the GPS. We have implemented and verified the SensorFall in various environments, such as a hospital or a normal daily life for the elderly, also implemented the system calibration in order to adapt better the living conditions of each person. The results show that it performs well.     

Diffusion and performance of fragranced products: Prediction and validation

The design of fragranced products is a combination of art, technology, and scientific knowledge, although the former still predominates in the industry. For that reason, a theoretical model to assess their performance considering the release and diffusion together with the predicted odor intensity over time and distance from the source was developed and validated. Diffusion profiles were experimentally measured in a diffusion tube, similar to the Stefan tube, and predicted with a model for pure fragrance chemicals, binary, quaternary, and multicomponent (11 chemicals) mixtures. A very good agreement between our purely predictive model and experimental concentration data was observed. Fragrance concentrations in air were then converted into odor intensities using models from psychophysics, making it possible to evaluate the evolution of the odor with time and distance using a performance plot. Accordingly, the performance of these mixtures was modeled and experimentally validated, which constitutes a landmark for fragrance design. © 2013 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 59: 3943–3957, 2013     

Use of Micronized Polyethylene Terephthalate (Pet) Waste in Asphalt Binder

The increase in living standards and social and economic development over the past three decades has increased the demand of waste discarded in the environment. In the last five years due to the widespread application of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) waste, improper disposal has become a serious problem in the maintenance of an environmental balance. Some additives have been developed during the last decades in order to improve the mechanical properties of asphalt binder according the rheological properties. This research aims to evaluate the implementation of PET in a modified binder. PET was mixed with the percentage of 4, 5, and 6 wt% within a binder. It was found that progressive addition PET increased pulp consistency and improved its elastic response. Addition of PET showed promise in antiaging action, as the higher oxidation levels decrease modified binders.     

Effects of Probiotic Lactobacillus gasseri Strains of Breast-Fed Infant in a Murine Model

The ingestion of probiotic lactic acid bacteria has been evaluated and noted that it has an effect on the balance of desirable microbiota in the gastrointestinal tract. Lactobacillus gasseri demonstrates good survival in the gastrointestinal tract, and it has been associated with a variety of probiotic activities and roles, including the reduction of fecal mutagenic enzymes, the production of bacteriocins and the stimulation of macrophages immunomodulation. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of a pool of L. gasseri strains isolated from the feces of breastfed infants added in the human milk of healthy women. The milk was both pasteurized and unpasteurized, to verify the cell cytotoxicity of macrophages and to quantify the production of immunologic mediators such as IL-4, IL-6, IFN-γ, TNF-α, NO and oxygen intermediary compounds （H2O2）. The administration of raw human milk and pasteurized human milk to infants is a regular, encouraged practice in units of intensive therapy （UITs） and our present investigation verified the beneficial effect of addition of a pool of L. gasseri to pasteurized human milk （PHML）. Our results show that probiotic supplementation helped to maintain cell viability, reduced IL-6 and IFN-γ production and stimulated TNF-α, NO, H2O2, IL-4 production. Nevertheless, the results indicate that the addition of lactobacillus to human milk was not a determinant in the production of TNF-α. L. gasseri added to breast milk did not present a cytotoxic risk, and the addition ofL. gasseri to pasteurized milk of human milk bank would benefit newborns that depend on milk banks for the colonization of more desirable microbiota.     

Antimicrobial Effect of Edible Coating Blend Based on Turmeric Starch Residue and Gelatin Applied onto Fresh Frankfurter Sausage

The microbial and physicochemical properties of edible coating blend based on turmeric starch and bovine gelatin on frankfurter sausage were studied during the product’s shelf life. Three edible films were prepared and their thermal, mechanical, and barrier properties evaluated one with turmeric starch (TF), one with gelatin (GF), and one with a blend of turmeric-starch and gelatin (BF). Physicochemical and bacteriostatic effects of the blend on the sausage were measured. Water vapor permeability (8.01 g day^?1 m^?2 atm^?1) and tensile strength of the BF showed intermediate values (5 MPa) compared with results of the films containing turmeric (5.88 g day^?1 m^?2 atm^?1; 4 MPa) or gelatin (13.4 g d^?1 m^?2 atm^?1; 13 MPa) separately. Tensile strength was higher to GF (13 MPa), lower value (4 MPa) was obtained to TF, and intermediate value to BF (5 MPa). Elastic modulus was lower to BF (85 MPa) when compared to TF (126 MPa) and GF (271 MPa). Elongation at break of BF (42%) was higher among the three edible films (TF 7% and GF 36%). Emulsion stability measured by thermal analysis in DSC showed complete miscibility to BF, observed through melting point of polymers. The effect of the turmeric-gelatin blend coating on sausages stored at 5 and 10 °C showed a significant (p ≥ 0.05) positive effect on decrease of microbial growth over 30 days. Physicochemical characteristics such as pH, texture profile, moisture, and color remained constant compared to control. Thus, the edible coating based on turmeric starch and gelatin blend is an alternative to replace the synthetic casing in frankfurter sausage.     

Manipulation of Omega‐3 PUFAs in Lamb: Phenotypic and Genotypic Views

A number of studies have shown that dietary omega‐6 and omega‐3 long‐chain fatty acids can be incorporated into muscle tissue of ruminants despite the biohydrogenation of dietary fatty acids in the rumen. The main focus of this review is on eicosapentaenoic (20:5n‐3) and docosahexaenoic (22:6n‐3) fatty acids because health authorities around the world consider the sum of these fatty acids as the basis of classifying a food as a source or good source of omega‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). A high proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids are hydrogenated in the rumen, leading to a higher concentration of 18:0, but some escapes the rumen to be absorbed intact by the small intestine. Feeding strategies for ruminants have been successfully applied to increase the absorption of PUFAs in the small intestine and therefore to increase the levels of PUFAs in muscle tissue. Protected fats and algae are strong candidates to improve the nutritional value of red meat in ruminants in terms of health‐claimable omega‐3 fatty acids. Efforts to understand the genetic basis of fatty acid metabolism have been underway. The knowledge of the main genes which control the output of omega‐3 fatty acids is still lacking, but gene expression studies have helped to explain the deposition of these acids in muscle, liver, and subcutaneous fat.     

Cholesterol Oxidation in Fish and Fish Products

Fish and fish products are important from a nutritional point of view due to the presence of high biological value proteins and the high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids, especially those of the n‐3 series, and above all eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid. However, these important food products also contain significant amounts of cholesterol. Although cholesterol participates in essential functions in the human body, it is unstable, especially in the presence of light, oxygen, radiation, and high temperatures that can cause the formation of cholesterol oxidation products or cholesterol oxides, which are prejudicial to human health. Fish processing involves high and low temperatures, as well as other methods for microbiological control, which increases shelf life and consequently added value; however, such processes favor the formation of cholesterol oxidation products. This review brings together data on the formation of cholesterol oxides during the preparation and processing of fish into food products which are recognized and recommended for their nutritional properties.     

Comparison between two- and three-dimensional diffusion models to describe wood drying at low temperature

An experiment on convective drying of lumber was performed at a temperature of 40 °C. A two-dimensional numerical solution of the diffusion equation with boundary condition of the third kind and variable effective mass diffusivity (model 1) was proposed to describe drying. The solution was coupled with an optimizer to determine the process parameters. The results were compared with those obtained by a typical three-dimensional numerical solution (model 2). The analyses of the results indicated that the parameters (and the simulation) obtained using model 1 are very close to the results obtained with model 2. However, the optimization time for model 1 is about 20 times less than the optimization time for model 2.     

Temperature charts of Hevea brasiliensis during log steaming and its effect on the board cracks

The temperatures of Hevea brasiliensis logs during the steaming process were determined and correlated with the cracks of the boards. Thermocouples were inserted at the center of the logs, and the temperatures were recorded inside the material during steaming at 54, 75 and 92 °C. Logs were cut and the cracks of the boards were measured. The results showed that: (1) the sigmoidal logistic model explains the variation of temperature in the logs; (2) the variation in the length of cracks between the peripheral boards and those taken near the pith were 194.6, 150.6 and 138.8 % for the material steamed at 54, 75 and 92 °C, respectively; and (3) the board’s cracks were smaller in the logs that reached the glass transition temperature. A chart to determine the steaming logs time as a function of the steam temperature and the desired temperature inside Hevea brasiliensis logs was developed.